batteries

How to charge your phone in an emergency

You see that battery meter dwindling down to zero. There's a knot in your stomach. You'd pay anything just to squeeze another 10 minutes from your phone.

Your panic is justified. Not only does a dead phone battery cut you off from communication with the outside world, but it strips you of your contact book as well. There was a time when I could remember close to a dozen phone numbers off the top of my head. But today, I can barely remember my wife's number without the aid of my phone.

Fortunately, there are a number … Read more

IBM speeds push for 500-mile EV battery

Ten years from now, range anxiety for electric cars could be a thing of the past.

IBM today announced two partners for a project aimed at building a lithium air battery able to propel an electric car 500 miles. Scientists from Asahi Kasei and Central Glass with expertise in membranes and electrolyte chemistries will join IBM researchers on the initiative.

Called the Battery 500 Project, the goal is to design an "air-breathing" battery that will use oxygen from the air to drive a new type of battery chemical reaction and, in the process, deliver a big jump in … Read more

Spring cleaning tips for your Android device

Spring cleaning is about more than actual cleaning -- it's about getting a fresh start. The latter of these can simply mean changing things around so that the experience feels new. Here are some of the cleaning basics for your Android device, and also some tips on how to make other parts you can't change feel a bit of that spring rejuvenation.

Clean out space for new stuff

We all have too much "stuff," as the famous comedian George Carlin told us, and chances are that you can afford to get rid of some of it.… Read more

Spring cleaning tips: Spruce up your iOS device

Every spring, households around America partake in some form of spring cleaning. Traditionally, the honey-do list is usually only limited to getting junk out of the garage, and getting the cobwebs off the house. This year, add tidying up your iOS device to the list-- it's worth the extra work.

Device storage space As time goes on, it's really easy to accumulate apps. I'm talking about the apps you have downloaded, placed in a folder, and completely forgotten about. Those single-serving apps take up precious space on your device, and over time they can add up to … Read more

New iPad owners reveal their likes and dislikes

The new iPad scores higher in customer satisfaction than did previous models, but it comes with its own unique set of pros and cons.

A full 82 percent of new iPad owners polled by ChangeWave last month said they were very satisified with the tablet, while 16 percent were somewhat satisifed. Only 2 percent were somewhat unsatisfied, while no one was very unsatisfied.

Those results compare with 74 percent of owners of the previous model iPad surveyed in February who were very satisifed and 23 percent somewhat satisifed.

.Among all owners of the new iPad, ChangeWave uncovered a healthy list … Read more

Apple: iPad charging fine, keep it plugged in

Apple says its latest iPad model has been designed to keep charging, even after its indicator says it's reached 100 percent.

Following questions about the accuracy of the new iPad's battery status indicator and its recharging technology, Apple now says that it's part of its software to continue charging and discharging the battery when it nears 100 percent, and that there's no harm in leaving it plugged in.

"That circuitry is designed so you can keep your device plugged in as long as you would like," Apple VP Michael Tchao told AllThingsD today. "… Read more

Samsung offers extended-life battery free with Galaxy Nexus

Buyers of Samsung's 4G LTE Galaxy Nexus smartphone can now score a free extended-life battery with the usual two-year contract.

The free battery bundle consists of the i515 2100 mAh battery and a special cover for added protection. This package normally sells for $49.99 directly from Samsung and runs anywhere from $30 to $40 from various online retailers.… Read more

Researcher says new iPad's charging math is 'wrong'

A report from DisplayMate Technologies yesterday noted that Apple's latest iPad is not fully charged when it shows that it's 100 percent juiced up, and today the creator of that report says the problem is due to bad math.

In a note sent to CNET and other media outlets this morning, DisplayMate President Ray Soneira said the iPad's behavior here can be attributed to the calculations that go into determining how far along the recharging process is based on battery health and other factors:

The charge indicator on all mobile devices is based on a mathematical model … Read more

iOS 5.1 code hints new iPhone could have 4G LTE

Apple's new iPad has been receiving much high praise for its Retina Display, the showcase feature during its unveiling earlier this month, but the inclusion of a 4G LTE-capable option has prompted quite a few discussions over whether Apple's new iPhone will be 4G-ready.

According to Krishna Sagar, a tipster writing to iDownload Blog, Apple is definitely working on a 4G LTE iPhone, and iOS 5.1 has the code to prove it.

Using iFile on a jailbroken iPhone 4 (running iOS 5.1, of course) Sagar was able to find code strings indicating 4G connectivity actions during … Read more

More LEDs in new iPad can mean less battery life

By doubling the number of LEDs in the new iPad, Apple cut somewhat into battery life--particularly when used at full brightness--something you won't find on Apple's tech spec page.

Though the new iPad's battery is 1.7 times larger than the iPad 2's, all of those extra LEDs still take a toll on battery life at full brightness--as Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate Technologies, told CNET in a phone interview yesterday.

"The [power consumption of the] LEDs is 2.5X compared to the iPad 2, and the battery is 1.7X [larger]...so what happens … Read more